Negative resistance occurs when an increase in the current entering a circuit results in a decrease in voltage. Under Ohm's Law, which states that the amount of electric current through a metal conductor in a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage impressed across it, negative resistance is theoretical and does not exist as a discrete component.
New quantum electronic devices that exhibit negative resistance characteristics are of great interest for high-speed, high-density integrated circuits (ICs) which have less interconnection complexity. The high intrinsic switching speed, intrinsic binary on-off state, combined with novel circuit structures, could lead to fast, compact, and low-cost future products.